Who We Are & Why We're Doing This

We're Christian moms who not only love books, but love helping our kids learn to love books - and the Lord. This blog is our ministry, started because we couldn't find a comprehensive website of Christian children's picture book reviews. We hope you find it useful.

(Founder, Executive Editor, Reviewer) is the mom of a sweet and sassy 9 year old girl and an active 6 year old son. She's also the author of over 20 books. Visit Kristina at her blog Proverbs 31 Woman.

(Reviewer & Special Project Copyeditor) is the mother of Pierce, who is 15, and Natalie, 21. Christine is also the author of 11 children’s books. She lives in Ohio with her husband Bill, her son Pierce, and her dog, Black Velvet. Follow Christine's blog here.

Suzette Ladouceur(Reviewer) is a stay-at-home, homeschooling mommy to two littles (5 and 2), and wife to a sweet, loving husband. Before choosing to stay at home with her children, she was a teacher for 11 years - 1 year as an elementary music teacher and 10 years as a 4th/5th grade teacher. Learn more about Suzette and her family her blog, The Joy of Homemaking

(Reviewer) is a wife, mom, 5th grade teacher and cancer survivor. Her daughter Sydney is 10, son Lucas is 5 and daughter Ella Grace is 4. You can learn more about Amy and her story at her blog, Some of the Best Things in Life are Mistakes.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

In Traci's Praise a boy finds a seed, plants it and waits to see what will grow. The result is a lesson in worship based on Psalm 150:6, a verse quoted both on the cover and title page. W. Wilkinson III serves as both author and co-illustrator with Sergio Fermin

When the seed grows into a tree, the boy names it Traci then returns throughout the seasons to talk with the tree and learn why it does what it does. It houses birds who can sing praises to God. It dances in the wind in praise to God and His teachings. When Traci rustles her leaves it is like us clapping our hands in praise. By sharing her seeds, she shows the boy that he should teach others about God and how to worship Him. The tree lifts her branches to the sky as a sign of surrender. She says "I want my Lord to look down upon me, and see me reaching up. I am a vessel for Him to fill."

Finally, the child asks Traci why she does all this. "Let everything that has breath give God all the praise. Not just when times are good, but in your trying days."

The next time the child comes to visit Traci, she's gone, but he hears her lessons in the wind, reminders of how stand firm in faith and worship God freely through all seasons of life.

What I Like: The text is beautiful! I love how it encourages kids (and parents) to be authentic and uninhibited with their praise. Publishers produce a ton of books about God and about the Bible, but there are very few that teach about personal worship. This book offers a great introduction to a neglected topic. The dedication to the author's cousin is a moving tribute as well. It made me wish I had known the woman after whom this book was named.
What I Dislike: I would love to see supporting Scripture references (more than one) and an explanation of what happened to Traci. That part of the story seemed abrupt.

The biggest problem with this book, however, is that it's not attractive. I fear the cover and inside illustrations deter readers from getting to the uplifting text. They're simplistic offering primitive technique and style. Several of the pages feature images that are very similar, if not identical to previous pages, and many are fuzzy or pixelated. Unfortunately, the illustrations greatly detract from the wonderful text and the full potential of this book.
Overall Rating: Good. If I were judging the text alone, I would definitely say "Very Good," but illustrations are a crucial element in picture books and these simply don't meet standards.
Age Appeal: It's not specified, but I would say 5-10.
Publisher Info: Angels of Agape, 2010; ISBN: 0615254667; Paperback, 32 pages; $9.95
Buy it Now at Amazon.com for $9.95!

Children's books like this one is surely a treasure for any Mom who wants to expose her Child to the teachings of God in the early stage. What's nice is that it is presented in a story which makes learning more interesting and easier for Kids.

BROWSE BY TOPIC

BROWSE BY AGE

POPULAR AUTHORS

ARCHIVES

Design by

Disclosure

The books reviewed on this website are often review copies, which are sent to us free of cost, as is traditional for all professional book review publications. We receive no perks, payment, or other freebies for reviewing books, and we are not required or encouraged to review books in a positive manner.

SUPPORT THIS SITE!

Every time you click on one of our Amazon links and buy anything within 24 hours of the initial click through - whether it's one of the books we've reviewed or that chainsaw your husband's been drooling over - we earn a small commission. If you click through to one of our ChristianBook links and purchase anything within four hours, the same is true. This encourages us, which is good. Too, ChristianBook and Amazon have great prices...so it's a win-win situation. (Please note, if you wish us to receive a commission, you cannot place the item in your wishlist and order it days (weeks, months) later.) Thank you for your support!